The Portland daily press., 1887-04-20

10 the Editor OF the Press.
A Bath correspondent in the PRESS OF
Friday confirms the. report that the fog-horn
at SeguiD, when In use, can be heard at
Bath. wish he had given us the distance.
He also suggests as a kindred subject for
enquiry, the limit at which the sound of
bells can be heard, and gives instances
where he has heard the bells Of the Bath
churches six miles. The size of the bells,
and the conditions Of the atmosphere have
much to do with it. City bells are some
times heard long distance at sea in a calm,
by one vessel Of a fleet, when the others hear
nothing Of 1t. This may be caused by the
same conditions that produce the mirage,
showing objects below the horizon.
Anciently much importance was attached
by the Londoners to the sound of the great
bell in the tower of Bow Church. Nothing
was considered strictly metropolitan unless
it existed. or took place 'within the sound
of Bow-bells." Those favored people living
within were derisiyely called by outsiders
"cockneys. In my childhood l had Lon
don picture book which gave the supposed
language for the church bells; that for Bow
bell was:
"Three priests in row
Says the big bell at Bow"
Bow-bell obtained much of its dignity
from the fact that it was the official bell Of
the city. In 1472, John Dcnne, a skinner
Ger, gave by his will to the parson and war
dens Of Bow Church, two Ienements with
the land under them, to maintain the ringing
nightly OF Bow bell at 0 o'clock
The Bath writer asks for information as
to the place where the engagement occurred
between the Enterprise and Boxer, and says
MI hat
Pemaquid claims the honor Of seeing and
hearing the battle" No wonder he Is con-
fused. A Portland writer in 1886 said "The
Boxer lay off and on In front of the harbOr
(of Portland for the purpose Of bringing on
an engagement" The facts were Just the
reverse. The Enterprise heard Of the
Boxer at Seguin and towed out Of
Portland harbOr and sailed eastward
The official report says September 9th, QSi3)
at a. m. Pemaquid bearing north eight
miles distant, saw brig at anchor" The
silent tchalengeseame from theIEnterprise, and
after seven hours waiting for wind and
man9uvering with the Boxer for position,
the action was commenced by the Enterprise
on the open water, between Damariscove
and Monhegan Islands, at least forty miles
from Portland. The actionasted only about
forty minutes, when the officer in command
OF the Boxer cried for quarters, saying that
he could not haul down his cQlQTs,.. they be
cial report Of the commander Of the Enter
prise. The position OF the vessels learned
from Captain Reuben G. York, for fifty years
a ship broker in Portland, now dead. lie
was at the time Of the action
first lieutenant Of the privateer schooner
Mary Of North Yarmouth. His vessel was
then hiding from the Boxer in Saturday
Cove, and he came out of the river with the
captain in his boat TO see the action. Cap
tain York's account is confirmed by that OF
Mr.. Knight, yet living in Portland. He was
at the time Of the battle, living with his
father on Damariscoye island, from whence
he had an unobstructed view of the action.
The report of the guns could not be heard in
Portland, but the smoke was seen
through the telescope at the observatory. l
had this from other reliable witnesses who
engagement. w. G..